The present invention has for its object an electrical connection between groups of lead plates for electric accumulator elements, and a method for forming connections of that type or others.
No absolutely satisfactory solution has been found for the problem of making sealed electric connections between two adjacent accumulator elements, either from the point of view of perfect sealing of the connection, or from the point of view of easy production thereof. The Applicants have perfected connections having excellent sealing characteristics, which are the object of their French patent application No. 69.04 068 of Feb. 19, 1969, but requiring the use of at least one seal per connection. They have also studied an extremely rapid method for manufacturing rods for connecting together plates of same polarity of an element, and connections of rods for plates of opposite polarity of adjacent elements, the plates being arranged in the accumulator box already provided with its lid, which was the object of their French Pat. No. 69.08 974 of March 26, 1969. This method does not, however, enable the production of connections between adjacent elements as well sealed as the sealed connections in their aforementioned patent application, and requires the use of certain tooling adapted to the dimensions, and more particularly, to the number of elements, of the accumulators to be produced.
With a view to making strictly sealed connections, the Applicants have described, in French Pat. No. 69.39 218, a method for forming connections between lead plates of electric accumulators, in which method an elementary mould is fitted on the plate lugs arranged in an element of the accumulator, then molten lead is run into that mould so as to connect the plate lugs together by rods, and the rods of the plates of opposite polarity are connected through holes provided in the partition separating two adjacent elements, these operations being made preferably before the fixing of the accumulator lid on its box.
The mould provided for surrounding the plate lugs of same polarity has the general shape of a channel, preferably having a flat bottom, whose bottom is drilled with rectangular openings having a cross-section firstly equal to those of the plate lugs, then tapering downwardly, preferably in the shape of a truncated pyramid with a rectangular base.